The Love We Give
by ItsInTheMusic
Summary: Rikki had everything in order. For once, her life seems good. But, when trouble comes to paradise, what happens?
1. Chapter 1

It wasn't the front door opening or the quiet creek of his bedroom door that woke him from his slumber. No, it was the young woman standing at the door whispering his name.  
>"Zane... Zane. Wake up"<br>"hmm Rikki, what's up? What time is it?" he was half awake now, noticing how the sky outside was still pitch-dark and littered with stars. No light even slightly visible on the horizon yet.  
>"It's early, late; whatever you want to call It." was her reply<br>"Okay... So what's up?" he asked as she slowly walked around the foot of his bead while he leaned his back against the headboard.  
>"Can I maybe stay here tonight?" so quietly asked in the darkness of the room. She seemed unsure of herself which was an unusual thing. Rikki was always confident, even when she was wrong.<br>"Yeah, of course." he lifted his blanket to allow her to crawl under which she did. She also swiftly clung to his torso with her arms and pressed her face into his chest, right above his heart.  
>"I Missed you."<br>"is that why you came?"  
>And instead of a reply from her end he just softly felt her head bob several times. Her soft blonde curls tickled his chin.<br>"Well, I missed you too." he felt her hug him a little bit tighter when he said that. Several minutes passed before she propped her arms to lay her head on his chest and look at his face.  
>"Zane, I know I don't really tell you this but you're really important to me. You know that, right?" The question at the end was genuine, and she was waiting for his answer.<br>"Yeah, I know. You're really important to me too. I was a total ass before I knew you."  
>"true." the couple shared a small laugh at that.<br>"Thanks for putting up with my shit. I know I'm difficult to be around sometimes and the whole mermaid stuff doesn't really help."  
>"Were both pretty difficult to be around? And I love the fact that you're a mermaid. It's sexy." if there would have been enough light, he would have seen her cheeks flush a bright crimson color.<br>"ha ha funny."  
>"I'm serious. Now, you want to get some sleep?"<br>"Mhmm..."  
>Rikki took that moment to return to her previous position after giving him a quick kiss on the cheek.<br>"I love you Zane, thanks for letting me stay. G'night." that shocked them both. They hadn't exchanged the 'I love you's' yet.  
>"Yeah, I love you too." Zane felt Rikki's arms tighten around him for a brief second and then relax again. He gently kissed the crown of her head as she drifted off to sleep. Zane on the other hand, lay awake in his own bed. His mind was spinning with thoughts about the girl lying in his arms. He wanted to know what the reason was for her coming over in the middle of the night. Had something happened and upset her? Or did she really just miss him? Oh no, he was very happy she came over but always curious. Rikki want one of *those* girls. And he didn't want her to be.<br>He didn't regret the I love you's at all. He was happy about it actually. Glad that they were on the same page for a change. He could say he missed the days when they were simple but those days never existed. It wasn't ever simple, *they* were never simple. Again, not that he wanted them to be.  
>Somewhere along his train of thoughts, he drifted off to sleep, still thinking about Rikki.<p>

Zane woke up slowly the next morning to sunlight hitting his still heavy eyelids. He quickly noticed the warm body curled into his. Right, Rikki. The previous night's events rushed back at him. All of the sudden he was wide awake. He looked down and saw Rikki's bright blue eyes staring into his own. When eye contact was made, she smiled.  
>"Hey, you're up."<br>"Good morning to you too."  
>"It is, isn't it?" a little wrinkle appeared between her eyebrows.<br>"You're beautiful," he said earnestly "and I love you"  
>She giggled at that. Rikki Chadwick actually giggled.<br>"I love you too, Zane." it was barely the end of her sentence before Zane pushed his lips gently onto hers and flipped them so he was straddling her waist. Disconnecting their lips, he sat up, still on top of her. Rikki's hair was strewn across the pillow, her cheeks and lips lightly flushed and her eyes sparkling. Zane slowly leaned down to her ear, his hot breath against the bare skin of her neck sent shivers down her spine and all she could do was lay there.  
>"Are you hungry?" he asked and pulled away with a smile<br>"you're such a tease, Zane!"  
>He laughed as he climbed off of Rikki and out of his bed.<br>"Zane that's not fair! You can't just leave me here after that!" Zane just laughed some more and walked back to where she was lying and leaned down to give her a quick kiss.  
>"Hey, it's okay. Calm down Rikki. Let's go eat first, okay?"<br>"Fine... Can I borrow some pants though? Unless you'd like me to walk around in only a tank and undies cause that's fine with me. I mean, I do it all the time, really." throughout her mini speech she had stood up to show off her outfit which really did consist of only a black tank and white undies with black polka dots.  
>"Hmm I should just let you walk around like that, I like it."<br>"Well, it's settled then. Let's go eat." and Zane just followed Rikki out of his room and into the kitchen.

They made pancakes together. Rikki taught him the recipe she always used and he added some of his own chocolate chips to the batter. After all the proper ingredients were added to the batter, pancakes were made by Rikki while Zane waited patiently with three plates. One for her, one for him and one for all the extras. She loaded all the pancakes up onto one plate which Zane then brought to the kitchens bar area and put it down along with the other two plates and forks. Rikki brought over the syrup and then sat down herself.  
>"Mhhh looks good" she said before stabbing her fork into one pancake and transferring it to her own plate. Zane soon followed suit and took the syrup before her hand could make it all the way to the bottle. She lightly hit his arm with her open palm at that and he just chuckled. They ate in silence. Not an awkward silence, a nice comfortable silence that said they were each content in that moment and with each other.<br>Breakfast had been finished and the dishes had all been put away in just under an hour. Rikki and Zane were currently sitting back on Zane's bed.  
>"how long is your dad out of town for" she asked looking over at him a little<br>"at least a month, then it depends on how the business deals going so it could be a lot longer"  
>"I'm sorry. I know what that's like"<br>"how about yours?"  
>"It's a 6 week business training thing for his job. I'm glad he got a job here though. I don't want to move again"<br>"hey, you know I wouldn't let that happen." he took her chin so he could look honestly into her eyes which seemed a bit distant at the moment. She just nodded her head. Her insides were screaming at her that *they didn't accept charity* but she knew that wasn't actually the proper response. "Yeah sure, that sounds good."  
>She snuggled into his chest for a few minutes until she reluctantly told him she would seem him later.<br>"I'll be back in a bit" she said as she was walking out the door.  
>"Wait, Rikki!" she turned around for the worry that sounded in his voice, "I love you" he said with a smile on his face.<br>"I love you too Zane" and she smiled too

Rikki swam to the moon pool. They had all agreed to meet there for a little bit. She surfaced and saw her two best friends waiting on her.  
>"Rikki! There you are! We haven't seen you in ages. What have you been up to?" was Cleo's excited reply.<br>"Cleo, calm down. I went to Zane's last night. No, it's not what you think," replied Rikki seeing her friends faces "we just slept, that's all. We made pancakes together this morning then talked for a little longer and now I'm here."  
>"Aw that's so sweet," came Cleo's reply,<br>"what did you guys talk about?" Bella asked, still a little suspicious of her friends' story.  
>"I told him I love him. He said it back. And then we just talked about some other things, nothing very important though."<br>"I'm so happy for you, Rikki." Bella said. She was happy her friend had finally taken this step in her relationship.  
>"Me too. So when are you gonna see him again?" Cleo asked<br>"actually, after I'm done with my swim I'm going back by my house to get some stuff and staying over at his again." Rikki hoped her friends wouldn't be mad at her for this. She didn't want them to call her irresponsible or anything like that. She knew what she was doing.  
>"How long are you staying for?" Bella and Cleo asked, speaking simultaneously.<br>"Not sure. Our parents are both gone for a while so we'll see." in all honesty though, she didn't want to go home again. It would feel too hollow again. Especially now that her and Zane were advancing their relationship more.  
>"Well don't let us keep you, go have fun with Zane! But text us an update later, okay?" Bella said. They all laughed at that a little.<br>"Will do, I'll see you guys later. And thanks" Rikki told them honestly. She was happy her friends weren't upset with her. Rikki gave them one last wave before she ducked back under the water and swam away.

She wasn't sure what she should bring. She had her small duffle bag out and had already loaded in a denim mini skirt, black shorts, and another pair of shorts but in a tan color. She had several tank tops and two shirts. She quickly put her toothbrush, comb and bikini in there. *that should be enough* Rikki said to herself. She zipped up the bag and threw it over her shoulder. She made her way out of her small room and walked through the small trailer. She stepped out and locked the door after her. Not that there was anything worth stealing in there. She walked down the road and made her way to Zane's.  
>She wasn't sure if she should knock or just walk in. She decided to just knock; she didn't want to push her luck too much. Within a minute the door swung open to reveal her smiling boyfriend.<br>"Hey," she said with a smile as Zane stepped to the side and let her in. He closed the door after her and then took her hand.  
>"I have something for you." he pulled her into his kitchen where he then let go of her hand and opened a drawer. Out of the drawer, he pulled a key.<br>"Zane what is this?"  
>"It's a key to my house. I mean, I know we like never lock the doors but I wanted you to have it anyway." she didn't know what to say, her eyes were brimming with tears and Zane wasn't sure if she was happy or upset. In the next instant, her arms were around his neck and her body flush against his. He rubbed her back and he could hear a mumbled "thank-you". After a few minutes, they pulled apart and she gave him a stunning smile.<br>"What do you wanna do for the rest of the day?" she asked  
>"we can take a walk along the beach, if you'd like."<br>"sounds good to me, let me just put on something more appropriate. I'll be right back."  
>Rikki made her way up the stairs, two steps at a time. Once in Zane's bedroom she quickly stripped out of all her clothes and into a dress. It was red and white and hung loosely around her body. She again made her way down the stairs and tucked herself under Zane's arm as they walked out the door.<br>"you look great, Rikki."  
>"Thanks Zane" she said with a smile as they made their way down the beach with the sunset as their backdrop.<p>

**A/N: May add more chapters, depends on the response I get. Thank you for reading though! Please review and tell me what you think and if I should continue or keep it as a one-shot.**


	2. Chapter 2

They got back to Zane's house as the pink sky was fading into the deep blue of nighttime. Rikki sat down on the couch and pulled out her cell, quickly typing a message,  
><em>just went for a walk on the beach. Ordering pizza now. C u guys later<em> and sent it to both Bella and Cleo.  
>Rikki could hear Zane talking on the phone in the kitchen and she quietly walked up to him. He had his back turned and didn't hear her yet.<br>"Okay, thank you." he hung up the phone; the pizza should be there in 15 minutes. Zane felt delicate arms wrap around his torso and quickly turned around to face Rikki. He gave her a quick kiss and placed his hands on her hips.  
>"Food should be here soon." he said into her hair.<br>"Sounds good, I'm hungry."  
>He kissed her again and when they broke apart they headed to the living room to watch some TV. Zane sat down on the couch first and pulled Rikki down with him. He tucked her under his arm and turned the TV on. Within no more than five minutes of sitting down, the doorbell rang signaling the pizzas arrival. Zane got up to go answer the door and pulled out his wallet. He paid the young delivery boy and gave him a nice tip before taking the pizza box and shutting the door.<br>They ate in relative silence, still watching TV in the background. And after all the dishes and excess pizza had been taken care of, Rikki and Zane sat down to watch a movie.

The ending credits rolled around at 11:45 and Rikki was having some trouble keeping her eyes open by then. Zane nudged her a little as he stifled his own yawn.  
>"c'mon let's get some sleep."<br>She just nodded her head and followed Zane up the stairs. They got to Zane's room and she tiredly pulled herself under the blankets, having already changed before the movie started. Zane soon joined her and pulled her body close to his own.  
>"I love you." he whispered into her ear.<br>"I love you too, Zane." she said back before shutting her tired eyes. They both fell asleep, more than content.

she woke up with the feeling of being watched. She briefly thought that Harrison had returned home early. She stirred a little but then realized who was watching her. Without moving any further, she said,  
>"Zaneee, why are you watching me?" he gave a little chuckle and kissed her head which was still rested on his chest.<br>"Because I can." came his simple reply.  
>"Creeper."<br>"Yes, but I'm _your_ creeper."  
>She groaned and rolled over. Both Zane and Rikki both instantly missing the close contact.<br>"Are you hungry?" Zane asked her.  
>"Actually, yes. I'm very hungry."<br>"Let's go out. I want to take you on a date"  
>"Zane, that's not necessary. We can eat here." truth was, she wanted to go out on a date. She just felt like he was already doing so much and now he was just offering to do more. It somehow didn't feel fair.<br>"It will be fun, I promise."  
>"Okay, let's get dressed."<br>They were dressed and ready to go all in under ten minutes. As they walked out the door, Zane took Rikki's hand in his own and laced their fingers together. She gave his hand a quick squeeze and smiled at him.  
>"So where are we going? Or do I not get to know?"<br>"hmmm I hadn't thought of keeping it a surprise but now that you mention it..." he chuckled a little, knowing how Rikki hated to not be informed. She playfully spelled him across the chest.  
>"jerk." she said quietly but loud enough for him to hear. You could tell by the glint in her eyes that she was kidding around. Zane opened his mouth in mock protest.<br>"Oh I'm gonna get you now..." Zane said before lunging at her. Rikki took off running down the little sidewalk with Zane right behind her. In a few quick bounds, Zane threw his arms around her waist and pulled her tightly to his chest. She let out a very uncharacteristic scream which evaporated into laughter as Zane spun them slightly.  
>"Zane! Let me down!" Rikki said in protest to not being on her own feet.<br>"are you gonna apologize?"  
>"Do I have to?"<br>"hmm well that depends. I can always just carry you to the restaurant too." Zane told her, teasing her further.  
>"Fine. I'm very sorry, you're actually quite charming."<br>Zane put Rikki back on her own feet and gave her a sweet kiss right on her lips.  
>They both reluctantly pulled back and stared into each other's eyes for about a minute. Zane broke the eye contact first and reached for her hand, saying something about getting to the restaurant.<br>They arrived at a small café within a few minutes and were quickly seated.  
>The café was small and had an air around it that reminded Rikki of a cabin somewhere in the woods. Zane had a look in his eyes that Rikki could recognize as him thinking about his childhood.<br>"I like this place. How do you know about it?" Rikki asked, trying to find out what he was thinking about but also genuinely interested.  
>"My mom used to take me here before she left," Zane looked a little sad at the mention of his mother but the crease between his eyebrows was soon gone as he continued to speak. "And now I'm taking you here. I thought you'd like it, it's never really that busy so it's nice." Zane finished, smiling at her. She smiled back and squeezed his hand.<br>"Thank you." she said sincerely before turning back to her menu.  
>"what are you gonna have, Zane?"<br>"Pancake stack," Zane replied quickly without even having really looked at the menu. "My mom used to order it for me; the pancakes here are the best."  
>"I think I'll have the scrambled eggs with pancake." came Rikki's reply.<br>Within another three of four minutes, the waitress was asking for their orders. The couple told her what they wanted and smile politely when she told them it would be right out.  
>Breakfast was eaten over light conversation. Zane was right, the pancakes were very good. The couple soon finished their food, paid, and left the café.<br>Zane grabbed Rikki's hand in his own when they walked out of the café and linked their fingers together. The couple decided to take a slight detour back to Zane's. They made their way to the beach, neither one saying anything.  
>The walk back to Zane's was quiet but sweet. Both Rikki and Zane were busy thinking about things. A few more minutes of silence passed and they were standing in front of Zane's front door. Zane held the door open for Rikki and as she walked past him into the house, she smiled.<p>

"So... What do you wanna do the rest of the day?" Zane asked, somewhat awkwardly.  
>Rikki didn't immediately reply but instead took Zane's hand and started walking toads the stairs.<br>"Hmmm..." she mumbled as if she was thinking about it. By now, they had arrived at Zane's room.  
>"I have an idea." Rikki said flirtatiously, looking deep into Zane's eyes.<br>Rikki's usually sky blue eyes were now a deeper shade of blue. Zane could see the desire in them. Before Zane could register anything else, Rikki was kissing him. Zane put his hands on her hips as she put her hands under his shirt. Within a few more minutes of kissing, Zane's shirt was off and discarded to some unknown corner of the room. Rikki freely ran her hands up and down Zane's toned chest. Zane picked Rikki up under her legs and gently deposited her onto his bed all without breaking the kiss.  
>A few more minutes passed and several more articles of clothing were discarded. Time was a blur for both Rikki and Zane after that.<p>

Rikki and Zane were lying under Zane's blanket, wrapped up together. The comfortable quiet was interrupted by Rikki's phone ringing.  
>"Ugh who's calling me?"<br>Zane chuckled and replied with,  
>"I don't know babe, why don't you check?" thought he did have to admit; whoever it was had terrible timing.<br>"I swear, I'm gonna kill Cleo when I see her." Rikki said, sounding rather angry and throwing her phone back on the nightstand after putting it on silent. She rolled back into Zane and muzzled her face on his chest.  
>"I love you Zane."<br>"I love you too, Rikki." the couple smiled at each other and shared a sweet kiss.  
>Both missed the text message Cleo had sent saying, <em>were coming round Zane's, haven't seen u in ages.<em> 

Fifteen minutes later, Zane's doorbell sounded through the house. Both Rikki and Zane let out a frustrated groan and sat up. Zane quickly threw on some pants and a shirt and ran downstairs. Rikki got up and put her clothes back on then walked down stairs.  
>"Cleo, Bella? What are you guys doing here?"<br>Rikki could see confusion flash across both their faces.  
>"Didn't you get our text?"<br>"no. I, uh, didn't have my phone."  
>"Oh..." an awkward silence set in and everybody in the room looked a bit uncomfortable.<br>"So do you wanna come get a juice with us?" Cleo asked, looking somewhat hopeful. Rikki didn't really want to go. She would much rather curl back up with Zane and take a nap. But, she also hadn't seen Cleo and Bella in a while.  
>"Yeah, sure." Rikki replied then walked over to Zane,<br>"I'll be back in a bit." she said before quickly kissing him then walking out with Bella and Cleo.  
>The girls made their way to the cafe, laughing and talking about nothing really. Once inside the cafe and with juices ordered, the real conversation started.<br>"Sooo... What's up with you and Zane?" Bella asked, almost too excited.  
>"Nothing much." Rikki replied but she couldn't keep the light blush off of her cheeks when thinking back over very recent events.<br>"Wait... You and Zane weren't, you know..." Cleo said excited but also a little freaked out. At this, Rikki turned a bright shade of red.  
>"Cleo!" she almost yelled.<br>"Oh my god! You guys were!"  
>"thanks Cleo, why don't you just announce it to everybody here?"<br>"wait, so was this the first time or not?" Bella asked, being less shocked than Cleo and suspecting it was not the first time.  
>"No, it wasn't the first. Enough questions now."<br>"Okay, but you're gonna tell us more sometime!" Cleo said.  
>Just then their drinks arrived. Rikki, glad for the distraction, started drinking hers immediately. The other girls followed her example and within fifteen minutes, all the drinks were downed.<br>"Well, this was fun. But I've gotta go meet up with Will." Bella said while walking away.  
>"Yeah, I'm gonna go fishing with Lewis. See ya later, Rikki!" Cleo said as she too walked away.<br>Rikki slowly made her way back to Zane's with a slight smile on her face.

**A/N: So, not too sure how I feel about this chapter but I wanted to put something out for you guys :) I'm not sure where to go with this story from here so any ideas will gratefully be accepted!**

**Also, thank you to everybody who added this story to their story alerts/favorites and added me to author alert/favorites! And of course, everyone who reviewed! Special thanks to ****shootingstarsandjaybirds**** because their review just made me laugh.**


	3. Chapter 3

Zane knew Rikki was an independent person. That's why it didn't come as a surprise when she told him she needed a day to herself. After staying with him for a week, Zane had already guessed this was going to happen sooner rather than later. He knew she must be feeling crowded. In the past week, Rikki hadn't been alone for over the 40 minutes which were spent when either her or Zane were in the bath. Other than that, Rikki had been either with Zane or Cleo and Bella. They had barely even gone swimming.  
>Rikki slowly walked along the beach. Not too close to the ocean that she would get wet but not too far up the beach either. She was making her way back to her house, taking almost every imaginable detour she could.<br>Rikki's plan for her day had been to walk home, check on the mail, water the plants her dad had put out front to make the house seem more cozy and then; she would go for a swim. She was excited to go swimming again. She missed the feeling of the water all around her.  
>Rikki was absentmindedly flipping through the mail. *bill, bill, bill, letter, bill...* wait, her dad never got letters. *weird* she though. She took a closer look at the letter. It wasn't for her dad, it was for Rikki herself. There wasn't a return address but the envelope looked elegant.<br>Turning the envelope over, Rikki ripped into the fancy paper. Out of the envelope came a folded up note, a photo, and the scent of cheap perfume. Deciding it was best to read the letter first, Rikki unfolded the paper.  
>*Dear Rikki,<br>I know we haven't talked in ages. Well, rather I haven't talked to you. I'm sorry for leaving you, baby, but you have to believe me. You didn't understand. There wasn't any money; we were just barely getting by. Anyway, I got this new job and new house and well, I'd like you to come live with me. I put a picture in here so you can see it. Its right in the heart of New York City, you'll love it.  
>I'll be visiting Australia in a month, please have your mind made up by then.<br>Love you.*  
>Rikki didn't know what to think. All she knew was that her mom was lying; she didn't love her. Stuffing the letter in her pocket she flipped the photo over, not even bothering to look at it and put it in her pocket too. Rikki then ran out of her house, slamming the door behind her.<br>She stomped her way down to the secluded area of the beach and ran into the surf. Ten seconds passed and Rikki was swimming to Mako.  
>The moon pool had always calmed the nerves of the three mermaids, even before Bella came along. So now, that's where Rikki found herself. She lifted her arms up onto the rocks at the edge of the pool and rested her head. Time started to pass quickly then, not that Rikki would have known. The sky soon got dark and with it, the stars shone on the horizon.<p>

Zane was worried. He knew Rikki said she would be back but she hadn't returned yet. Something wasn't right; no call, no messages. In that moment, Zane made a decision. Grabbing his keys he walked out the door knowing just where he would look first.  
>When he got to the island, he pulled his boat far enough on the beach that it wouldn't float away. Zane ran to the hidden entrance of the moon pool and slid into the cave. Walking into the moon pool area, he spotted Rikki instantly. Still leaning on the edge of the pool but now sleeping peacefully. Zane quietly walked over to her and stroked her cheek.<br>"Rikki, hey Rikki wake up. Let's go back home."  
>Slowly her eyes started opening and in them Zane saw confusion. Rikki sat up and looked around the moon pool then remembered why she was there.<br>"Oh..." she said quietly," Zane, what are you doing here?"  
>"Rikki, it's 11 at night, I was worried about you."<br>Rikki pulled herself out of the moon pool with a little help from Zane and then quickly steamed herself off. She then grabbed Zane's arm and leaned her head on his shoulder.  
>"Okay, let's go."<br>"You don't want to swim back?"  
>He could feel her shake her head in reply. Well, he wasn't going to complain. He was tired too.<br>Zane guided Rikki back to his boat then lifted her on so she wouldn't get wet. Soon enough, they were speeding back to the mainland being careful to not splash the boat too much. Pulling up to the harbor, Zane quickly tied his boat up then jumped up and helped Rikki. She looked exhausted. Zane guessed she was, from the way she was leaning her head on his shoulder again. To be honest, Zane didn't mind too much, he liked being needed.  
>Within a few minutes of walking hey got back to Zane's house. The couple walked in and straight to the bedroom, both ready for a long, peaceful sleep.<p>

Rikki wasn't so lucky as to get her dreamless sleep. Ever since she lay down with Zane and fell asleep, she had been restless. Her dreams were filled with images of a blonde haired woman, a shade much like her own. Between flashes of blonde, there was the ocean. She tossed and turned until eventually Zane was roused from his slumber.  
>Zane rubbed his eyes then looked around his dark bedroom. His eyes soon fell on Rikki. He could see her slight frown and her discomfort. Zane reached his hand out and gently rubbed her cheek with his thumb.<br>"Hey Rikki, wake up." slowly her eyes opened and for a moment, she looked afraid.  
>"Zane?"<br>"yeah?" but Rikki didn't reply, instead she just hugged him as tight as she could. Zane returned the hug and stroked her hair. After a few minutes Rikki looked up at Zane and spoke,  
>"I'm sorry. I just had a bad dream. You can go back to sleep now."<br>"Rikki, I'm not just gonna go sleep when you're clearly upset. Do you want to talk about it?"  
>Rikki shook her head but at the action, a tear fell out of her eye. Hoping Zane hadn't noticed yet, she tried to wipe the traitor away, with no luck. Zane grabbed her face and looked in her eye, gently wiping her tear with the pad of his thumb.<br>"Okay, but if you change your mind..."  
>"okay." Rikki whispered back in the darkness. She put her head back on his chest and tried to steady her breathing. Zane lay on his back, idly drawing patterns on Rikki's back with his index finger. He could hear her deep breathing and was slightly concerned.<br>"I dreamt that my... My mom came and took me to live with her. And I had to move away from here. I had to leave dad, you, Cleo, Bella. I had to leave living right on the ocean. Everything. And I'm... Afraid. I'm afraid that it's really going to happen."  
>Zane was shocked, to say the least. Sure, they were honest with each other and told the other things no one else knew. But, never in a million years had Zane expected her to be quite that open.<br>"Hey, you're not going anywhere. I'll make sure of it."  
>"Zane, I need to tell you something." Rikki sat up and Zane felt his heartbeat speed up. Rikki got out of bed and walked to the shorts she had worn that day. She pulled out the crumpled letter and photo and smoothed them out a bit. She then walked back to Zane and handed him both, keeping her eyes down.<br>While Zane read, Rikki sat back down on the bed and looked at Zane. After a few minutes, Zane looked up and into Rikki's eyes. She could see the worry that was clearly displayed on his face. She moved closer to him and he hugged her tightly.  
>"You're not going anywhere. She can't make you go. It's going to be okay."<br>"I know she can't make me go but she'll come here and do anything she can to get me to go..."  
>"I'll be here, I'll help you. She's not taking you away."<br>Rikki didn't want to think anymore. She wanted to be happy and have fun with Zane and spend time with Bella and Cleo. She wanted to go swimming and go out with Zane. She didn't want her mom to stir up her life. Rikki had never had much stability in her life. Her and her dad moved around a lot; there was never enough money to stay put. There was certainly never any extra money but they always managed. Now, Rikki thought they might finally stay somewhere. Money was okay now and her dad had a steady job. They were happy.  
>"Thank you Zane. Let's go back to sleep. We can talk more tomorrow morning." and because this whole day had just been so emotionally draining for Rikki, she fell asleep quickly. With her head on Zane's chest ad their limbs intertwined, her breathing evened out.<br>Zane, on the other hand, lay awake for a long time. He held Rikki tightly to his chest and every now and then would lean over to kiss her head. His mind was spinning. He knew Rikki didn't deal well with stress. He knew that she was happier now than she had been in a long time. If her mother went to court with this, Zane would hire the most expensive lawyer for Rikki. And he didn't care if she considered it 'charity.'

Morning light came all too soon, rousing the sleeping couple in its wake. Rikki stretched her body out and looked up at her boyfriend. Zane had covered his eyes with the back of his hand and let out a groan. Neither was, or had ever been, morning people. Rikki leaned up and gave him a quick kiss on the lips. Zane promptly uncovered his eyes and looked over at her.  
>"I like this." he said, while looking down at her head on his chest. Rikki could feel the vibration of his words in the side of her face.<br>"You like what?"  
>"waking up and having you right there." he said before kissing her head. Rikki could feel her face heat up and she pressed it tighter to Zane's chest. After lying still for about 10 minutes, Rikki's stomach started to grumble. Zane chuckled lightly and then sat up with Rikki.<br>"Let's go have some breakfast." he said and pulled her up by her hand. Rikki was excited to eat, to be honest. She allowed herself to be pulled up then stumbled down the stairs after Zane.  
>Toast with scrambled eggs was served after about 10 minutes. The couple ate in a comfortable silence and soon breakfast was finished.<p>

His eyes sparkled as he picked her up and twirled her in a circle. She was yelling to be put down but the amusement could clearly be seen in her eyes and the wide smile plastered on her face. Instead of putting her down, Zane flung his girlfriend over his shoulder and ran down the beach, her amused protest strong in his ears.  
>Zane stopped running when he spotted four people watching them. Zane smiled at them then put Rikki back on her own feet and took her hand. Rikki smiled too when she saw her friends. It had been a while since they went swimming together and being on the beach made her crave it even more.<br>Lewis was the first to speak, asking everyone,  
>"you guys wanna get some ice cream, I'm craving some?"<br>The change of scenery was semi weird. Regardless, all of the other five agreed and were soon on their way to the small ice cream shop.  
>Rikki planned to tell everyone once they were sitting down with their treats. She knew her friends would react similarly to how Zane had. Still, talking about her mother wasn't something Rikki did. She was pretty sure she hadn't even mentioned her once to her friends. Guess that was going to change.<br>Ice cream cones were ordered all around and paid for by Zane. The group of six sat down and began eating. Everybody except for Rikki and Zane. After about a minute, Cleo looked up and asked Rikki,  
>"What's up? You haven't even started eating and you look upset about something.<br>Rikki was at a sudden loss for words. So, instead of trying to form a reply to explain everything, she took out the letter and photo and placed them in the middle of the table. The other two mermaids and their boyfriends crowded around and read. Under the table, Rikki felt Zane rest his hand on her thigh and give a light squeeze.  
>The first to look up was Cleo, followed closely by Lewis then Bella and Will. Cleo's eyes were grazed over with tears and there was a nervous kind of fear displayed on the other three members' faces.<br>"Rikki... Rikki you're not going are you?" Cleo asked quietly.  
>"No! I would never go live with her! She can bribe me with anything, I won't go. The fact that she's coming here I hate more than anything. I don't want to see her but I'll have to."<br>"Rikki, you don't have to see her alone. We can all be there if you want." Bella said, getting over her shock to some extent.  
>"Yeah, of course we'll be there." was quickly added on by Bella's ever loyal boyfriend.<br>"Rikki, if you want us to do anything while she's here, you know we'll help you out. Just ask. And we would definitely be there if you wanted us to." Lewis said more calmly. He and Rikki had not gotten off to a good start but imagining having her not there anymore... Well, the thought frightened him. Cleo was nodding her head ferociously after each person's input.  
>"Thanks guys but I'm not going anywhere. She can't make me move. It's just irritating her coming here." Zane looked at her and squeezed her knee.<br>"You still got some time babe; don't worry about it too much now."  
>"Zane's right guys, I'm not even gonna think about her right now. Let's enjoy our ice cream now."<br>The group then returned its attention to their cones and joked about things lightly. After ice creams were finished, Cleo Rikki and Bella ran to the beach and dove in the water leaving three confused boys in their wake.

**A/N: I know it's been about a month since the last update and I apologize! I've had so much going on right now, I was waaayy too busy to write. Anyways, I've already stared the next chapter, so you won't have to wait too long(: **

**Please review and tell me what you thought! If you have any ideas you'd like to see happen, PM me or leave them in the reviews, thanks!**


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